[BubbaBear]

05/20/2003
> By APRIL M. WASHINGTON /
> The Dallas Morning News
>
> ALLEN âEUR" Mary Ann Knight thought she had seen and heard it all in the
> eight years she has worked at Allen Community Outreach, helping people
> make ends meet.
>
> That is, until former upper-middle-class residents, hit hard by corporate
> layoffs that have rocked North Texas the last three years, began walking
> through the agency's doors, seeking help paying bills.
>
> Mixed in their stacks of monthly bills that cover life's necessities are
> those that also cover lives the clients don't want to leave behind: $800
> car payments, private school tuition that ranges from $1,200 to $2,000,
> mortgage statements up to $4,000, cable TV bills in the hundreds of
> dollars and country club dues, to list a few.
>.....................
> Agency directors call folks new to being needy "the situational poor."
> They've depleted their savings and retirement accounts and struggle to
> cling to a lifestyle they no longer can afford.
>
> MONTHLY BILLS
> Here's an example of one client's monthly household bills submitted to
> Allen Community Outreach:
> Mortgage: $2,800
> Electric and gas bills: $1,000
> Car payments: $1,100 (two cars)
> Cable television bill: $200
> Credit card bills: $1,500 (monthly expense)
> Telephone bill: $200
>..................
> In the last two years, though, the county's jobless rate has more than
> tripled, from 2 percent to 6.5 percent in March. The county has witnessed
> a 103 percent jump in the number of homes facing foreclosure...............


http://www.dallasnews.com/index.html


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[threadbare]

Wow, that's interesting. It's also kind of funny. When do the "situational" poor become the generational poor? Are these the same poor souls who will line up at soup kitchens and demand vichysoisse?

[SusanJBear]

So social outreach is supposed to pay cable TV bills, huh? I don't think 'I want my United Way donation back.' is gonna go very far.

"situational poor" - I guess that's the new term for "riches to rags"

Some months back I posted a link to a story about people driving up to food pantries in their Volvos and requesting help.

There is a charity website I've been monitoring regularly since December, Modest Needs, whose goal is to make small cash gifts to those who are experiencing a minor setback / cash crunch and just need a small boost to make things right again. Times like starting a new job (need just a little $$$ for day care or bus pass for transportation, before getting first paycheck) are typically the kinds of requests that get funded, depending on how much the site gets in the way of donations.

The staff at Modest Needs works really really hard to make sure the cash gifts truly do deliver the most "bang for the buck", by demanding thorough documentation and often cutting checks directly to those who are owed, rather than sending cash to the person in need.

But the vast majority of requests for help are from people in more dire straits. The requests are typically for help with overwhelming medical expenses; help stopping foreclosure or eviction or utility shutoff; or funds to fix a means of transportation in order to get to work.

It's not a website I can visit for very long because I start thinking about the former CEO of Tyco and his $6000 umbrella stands and then I get sick to my stomach.

[threadbare]

Susan, I don't know if you remember but when you posted about the "situational poor" several months ago, I didn't understand why you were angry about people driving up in volvos needing help. I assumed that they must be in dire straits and feel sorry for anyone who goes from being super wealthy to having trouble paying survival expenses. I see by this linked article that some of these people are mired in fantasy and have a complete lack of shame, or are a bit nuts. What on earth are they going to do when and if they really do hit the skids?

It never dawned on me that anyone who didn't absolutely have to would accept or try to wrangle charity from different agencies. Wild!

[SusanJBear]

threadbare, on Jun 6 2003, 06:45 PM, said:

Susan, I don't know if you remember but when you posted about the "situational poor" several months ago, I didn't understand why you were angry about people driving up in volvos needing help. I assumed that they must be in dire straits and feel sorry for anyone who goes from being super wealthy to having trouble paying survival expenses. I see by this linked article that some of these people are mired in fantasy and have a complete lack of shame, or are a bit nuts. What on earth are they going to do when and if they really do hit the skids?

It never dawned on me that anyone who didn't absolutely have to would accept or try to wrangle charity from different agencies. Wild!

The reason I was angry is because people cannot distinguish between need and want.

When you can't feed and cloth your own children, it is long past time to ditch cable TV and the Volvo, IMO. I don't think that takes a whole lot of brains to figure that out.

[GregFokker]

And that's what will make the coming wipeout so noble. Is it possible to feel sympathy for those whose eyes will sting at the click of the light after last call has ended and the manager clicks on the lights? "Closing time folks, go home".

[mjkst27]

f**k the people depicted in this article

[Hypertiger]

The Discount window at the FED is the ultimate payday loan outlet...

I guess Texas doesn't have enough oil to support it's population...anymore.